If your oven is out of order (as was Amma's on several occasions), don’t worry, you can still make Sunday’s roast chicken - on the stovetop. One of the most favourable differences between oven roasted chicken and stovetop pot roasted chicken is that the latter is often always more succulent than the former. The most unfavourable being that pot roast chicken is less evenly browned than oven roasted ones.

How To Make Roast Chicken On The Stove

The most essential difference in technique when preparing chicken in a pot on the stove is that the chicken should rest on a ‘bed’ of vegetables, preferably root vegetables. This prevents the chicken from sticking to the pot . It also gently steams the chicken resulting a very tender chicken. I usually opt for carrots and shallots which also form the basis for the gravy.
For this pot roast recipe I basted the chicken in garlic and herb butter, resting on a bed of carrots and shallots. Served with Bean Mash and gravy and Homemade Coleslaw.

3. Insert the herb butter underneath the skin of the chicken in as many places as possible.

4. Cut carrots into smaller pieces. Place the carrots and shallots in a heavy based pot, large enough to fit the chicken. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme and black pepper. Add a pinch of salt. Add a cup of water.

5. Place the chicken breast down on the carrots and shallots. Cover pot.

6. Cook on medium heat for 40 - 50 minutes depending on the size of the chicken used. A heavier chicken requires more cooking time. I used a 1kg chicken, cooked for total time of 60 minutes.(40 minutes steaming and 20 minutes for browning)

7. After 40 -50 minutes, remove from stovetop. Remove carrots and shallots from pot. Drain all liquid. Set aside for making the gravy.

8. Place the chicken back into the pot. Brown for 20- 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. While the chicken is browning, prepare the gravy, see instructions below.

9. Once you are satisfied with the colour of the chicken, remove from stove, serve warm with carrots, gravy, mash and coleslaw.

How to make Gravy from Pot Roast Chicken

One of the things I love most about this recipe is that you don’t need any flour or corn flour to thicken the gravy. It is all vegetable. Use the liquid from the cooking process. Take all shallots and at least 5 pieces of carrots. Simmer on medium heat until the carrots and shallots dissolve into smaller pieces. Add a little water if the gravy is too thick. Use a blender if you prefer a more refined gravy texture. Once the mixture has the desired consistency, remove from stove, serve warm with your pot roast chicken.

Optional

If you prefer thick gravy, without flour, use a potato instead. Add one grated potato to the mixture then simmer on medium heat. Once the grated potato softens it will act as a thickener for the gravy.

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